Whirlpool logo on a refrigerator. Whirlpool logo on a refrigerator. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith filed the complaint Feb. 12 on behalf of three plaintiffs who claim they're among the many Whirlpool customers who saw their ice makers, water dispensers and other features stop working because of the quality of wiring that runs through their freezer doors.

The complaint states while those wires are intended to be flexible enough to hold up as the door is opened and closed, they instead become frayed and broken with ordinary use, often soon after a one-year warranty has expired. That defect both makes features of the refrigerator unusable and presents a safety hazard, the class action claims.